Hope you enjoyed looking at what I created! Leave your thoughts in the comments below

Love Always

Thursday, 30 August 2012

So its the last day of August and I thought I would share with you guys what beauty products I have been enjoying this month.

Illamasqua blending brush 1 and 2

Both these brushes are amazing.

I did a mini reveiw on the blending brush 1 in a previous blogpost to read it click here. Im not going to bore you and repeat everything I did in that blogpost but to sum it up, blends eyeshadow effortlessly, so easy to clean, really soft and made of synthetic fibres so can be used with creams too! The price of this brush is £20.50, pricey for a little brush but definately worth it if your looking for that brush to blend out harsh lines, buff in concealor or make your eye makeup look flawless!

The blending brush 2 I got in the Illamasqua sale for £15, its RRP is £23.50. It is a larger version of the blending brush one but it is less densely packed which means it is great for buffing in product. I personally LOVE this brush for concealor and foundation. It really buffs the product into the skin so makeup doesn't sit on the skin which makes it resistant to sliding or coming off throughout the day. This brush means you use less product and for concealing under eye circles it does such a brilliant job. If you have heavy eye makeup this is great for concealing around the eye area once again because it does not disturb the eyeshadow.

Collections 2000 lasting perfection concealor

This concealor is so great! It is a full coverage concealor and hides any blemishes, uneven skin or dark circles. This concealor is such a great product for the price. It actually is comparable to higher end concealors. I would compare it to Estee Lauder double wear concealor and say this is better! This really comes in handy when I have to rush out the door I just pop concealor on, curl my lashes apply some mascara and I'm out! I love to use this with my Illamasqua blending brush 2.

Shu uemura eyelash curler

Ok so I can definitely say this lives up to the hype. I always wear lashes- I hate my short, straight lashes and instead of piling on the mascara, I would rather stick a pair of natural falsies on, their easier and look better. Since I've tried this curler I feel like I don't need lashes! It curls my lashes so easily with one little squeeze of the curler, it doesn't pinch on my skin and my lashes stay up all day! It is pricey at £21 for a little bit of metal, but the results makes it worth it! The curler is so sturdy, I can't imagine it breaking anytime soon, so definitely a long term investment.

Bourjois volumizer mascara

This mascara coats my lashes with no clumps and the brush is really good for defining your lashes. I love that it has two steps- the 1st step I use to define my lashes and then the second to add volume. This mascara also can be removed so easy even when you apply layers (which is what I do), so it makes life easier at the end of the day! RRP-£10

Illamasqua Intrigue blush

This colour is really pigmented. I use this as a eyeshadow to highlight my eyes and also as a dramatic highlight when doing dramatic looks and I just love it. I haven't come across a white (even a eyeshadow) that is as pigmented as this. You just have to touch it with your brush and you get a good payoff which means the product will last you ages and for £16.50 thats not bad!

Sleek Ultra matt brights palette and Storm palette

The sleek palettes are amazing, I love their colours and pigmentation and for their price they are a really good buy! Below is swatches of my favourite colours from the brights palette (which I have been loving for fun looks) and a brown shade from the storm palette which I am loving for my brows! It is a lovely mid toned brown shade that looks perfect on my brows. You can see how this colour looks on my brows by checking out my previous blogposts where I have done my brows using this shade.

What are your August favourites? Let me know in the comments below!

Love Always

Wednesday, 29 August 2012

I was sat in my room wondering what look to do next, so I was going through my makeup drawer and found a orange pigment I haven't used yet so I thought I would create a orange/red/pink winged out eyeshadow on the upper lid and then do a pop of colour on the lower lash line. As I was using orange and reds, I thought why not add blue on the lower lash line and do a sunset look.

I was really happy with the end result and added half lashes I cut up which were the Sarah Harding Girls Aloud lashes by eyulur and put these on the top and bottom lash line to give the look a doll feeling. I didn't want too much shimmer with this look, so I used mostly matt eyeshadows and used a dewy foundation to add that glow to my skin.

Eyes

To start off with I applied urban decay primer potion all over my lid so the colours will appear more vibrant and have something to stick to.

Then I applied tape going up from my lower lash line to give me a crisp line.

I then buffed a tiny amount of collections 2000 lasting perfection concealor over my lid using my
Illamasqua blending brush 2 to even out my skin tone a little.

Then I applied a orange pigment using a flat brush to my inner corner and slightly on my lower and upper lash line.

I then took Illamasqua spill eyeshadow on my Illamasqua blending brush one and using back and forth motions I blended this half way through my crease.

After this I took Illamasqua spill on a flat shader brush and the bright orange from the sleek acid palette and packed this colour on my lid.

Then I took the bright pink from the sleek brights palette (5th colour 1st row) and blended this like I did with the orange on the remaining part of my crease until it met the end of the tape.

Then I used my brush just to bind the orange and the pink together where they meet so its all blended.

I took the two pink shades from the sleek brights palette and packed this till it met the end of the tape and the orange. Then I made sure again everything was blended.
I needed a really dark/off black shade which I didn't have so I took the purple from the sleek brights palette and urban decay black out on my Illamasqua blending brush 1 and used this colour on the outer V of my eye and slightly blending into the outer part of the crease.

If you need to apply more pink or orange go back and do this because blending does loose a lot of pigment from the eyeshadow.

I then took a bright matt red from the sleek 2012 collection glory palette and packed this where the orange and pink met and blended everything together.

For brow highlight first I applied Urban decay foxy with bootycall on top, then I went in with Illamasqua intrigue blush (matt white) to make my highlight more dramatic.

I removed the tape and where the crisp line was I just blended over it with my Illamasqua blending brush 1 to soften it and make it less harsh.

Using the 2 shimmering blue colours from the sleek acid palette, I applied firstly the lighter one near my inner corner then the darker blue as I got near to the end. Then right on my outer corner I applied a tiny amount of black eyeshadow to darken the blue further.

Illamasqua pencil in hex was applied in my waterline and mac smoulder pencil was drawn on the outer half of my lid then pulled out into a wing with an angled brush.

I cut up my Sarah Harding eyelashes to make half lashes. I stuck the first part of the lashes on the outer corners of my lower lash line and I stuck the second part of the lashes on the outer part of my upper lash line.

I used eyelash adhesive on a synthetic brush on the inner corner of my lid like I would with liner and then took a light orange glitter and applied it where the eyelash glue was.

I used mascara on the outer half of my lashes to bind them and the false ones together.

Face

For foundation I used Revlon colorstay in sand beige in the formula normal/dry skin with my elf angled foundation brush.

I went in with collections 2000 lasting perfection concealor in medium in areas where I needed extra coverage (under the eyes, blemishes etc). I used Illamasqua buffing brush to do this. I have also found this brush especially useful for applying concealor underneath my eyes when I have eyeshadow on as it does not disturb the makeup whatsoever!

Then I filled in my brows using the matt brown shade from the sleek storm palette on my angled brush.

Cheeks

I used Illamasqua Hussy on my cheeks which is a bright beautiful corally candy pink.

For highlight I used Illamasqua intrigue blush (matt white) to add brightness to the makeup. I then used Mac MSF in star wonder just underneath the intrigue blush but on top of hussy.

I didn't put anything on my lips simply because I have braces now and find it really uncomfortable for some reason haha!

Lipsticks I think that would look great with this look would be ...

Illamasqua blaze (bright orange)

Illamasqua climax (nude pink)

Illamasqua Welt (deep magenta pink)

Mac snob (blue based baby pink)

Mac st germain (bubblegum pink)

Revlon mauve it over (nude pink)

Or any peachy lip colours/lipsticks would look great too!

Remember its a sunset doll look, go girly with it! Rock it how you like it

Will you be trying this look out? If so send me pictures I would love to look at them at beyourselflovesanna@gmail.com.

Love Always

Today I thought I would tell you about primer, its uses and why we need or don't need it.

When we paint a wall we use primer, right?
Why?
Well...
It can mean the difference between an excellent paint job and one with glaring mistakes. Primer can make your wall shine!

Same with a face!

The primer you need will vary on what type of skin you have. If you have oiler skin you may need primer to control oil, or if you have dry skin you may need primer to add moisture to your skin. Or maybe simply because your foundation does not sit on your skin very well at all!
Primer acts like a barrier between your moisturiser and foundation. It is going to fill in pores and make your skin become a smoother surface for foundation application.

Remember primer doesn't always work for everyone and most of us don't even need it! The people who I would recommend to try a primer is people with really oily skin or using it on a special occasion where lots of photos will be taken to give the skin a flawless appearance. Primer can help the the foundation we use glide on smoother on our skin and our makeup will last longer with it.
You can also get primers to correct redness on the skin or correct any undertones we have to our skin we do not like (colour wheel theory). The same way there are primers on the market to add luminosity, hydration, help with older skin etc.My top foundation primers

-Illamasqua satin primer (dry skin). I use this on myself and instead of applying it before my foundation I mix it in with my foundation and it gives my makeup such a nice healthy glow. It also makes my foundation last longer and makes my skin feel smoother. It contains UVA and UVB filters so it will not only make your skin look good but it will protect it too!

-Illamasqua matt primer (oily skin). This primer is great for people with oily skin who want their face to remain matt throughout the day. It controls oil and also makes sure makeup does not fade throughout the day, it also contains UVA and UVB filters taking care of your skin throughout the day.

RRP- £19.50 for 30ml

-Gosh velvet touch primer (oily-normal). This also controls oily skin and prolongs wear of foundation. It contains silica so gives the skin a velvety feel. This primer is perfume and preservative free so will be good if you have sensitive skin. This is a dupe for Smashbox photo finish primer at nearly half price!

RRP- £12.99 for 30ml

-Smashbox primers (award winners)! Smashbox have a primer for every single skin type.

RRP- £25 for 30ml

-Benefit porefessional- Minimizes the appearance of pores and controls oil keeping makeup or skin matt throughout the day.

RRP-£23.50 for 22ml Most of you will ask, which one shall I try?!
Ok. First ask yourself do I really need a primer? If so why? Is it nothing a moisturiser can't fix?

If not get to the shops and go try one out!

For oily skin I would recommend the Gosh primer it is excellent and affordable at £12.99 for 30ml
click here

For dry skin I would recommend Illamasqua satin primer (I use it and love it) £19.50 for 30ml only about £5.50 more than the Gosh which is a drugstore brand! Illamasqua have a web exclusive kit which is a rich liquid foundation with either the matt or satin primer for only £30, if they were bought separately it would come to £41. That is a saving of £11!
Visit Illamasqua for this awesome offer here

Do you use a primer? Why or why not? Let me know in the comments below

Love Always

Tuesday, 28 August 2012

So, Ive been using these products for a good while now and thought I should share my thoughts on it with you. I have to say it is one of Macs best products.
From Mac cosmetics, I have to say their mineralize collection is their best! They look so lovely and dewy on the skin and the blushers and skinfinishes last forever. I used to be a really big fan of the Mac mineralize skinfinish natural, but as I got older I wanted a more full coverage. Still, I use this powder on days I want lighter coverage or to set my makeup.

The mineralize collection is really good for dry skin and sits beautifully, but oiler skins not to worry the powders will work great on you too!

On to the skinfinishes (MSFs)...

RRP- £21.50

They give such a lovely buffed up look to the cheeks. I use this product to highlight the top of my cheekbones, down the bridge of my nose, my brow bone and my cupids bow. I never apply this highlight on other parts of my face because I think it can get too overpowering as the MSFs are very shimmery, however some deeper MSFs work on my skin as a blush. They make the face look glowing. They also picture really well as a nice sheen. I love the candlelit effect they give and would always use this product without no doubt as my highlight or blush for a special occasion when I want to look extra glam!

The only downfall to the Mac MSFs is the colour range, as there are only 2 permanent shimmery ones. Most of the really good Mac MSFs come featured in collections, so if you see one make sure you grab it, they sell out really fast too.

Whisper of gilt has a slightly different formulation from the rest of the MSFs. It is finely milled so gives a more metallic and pigmented finish, really adding to the buffed up cheeks look. This colour goes with any look. I love how the gold is not too light or too dark. The perfect colour for a natural highlight. This colour can also be applied more heavily giving a dramatic gold highlight.

Lighscapade is the most natural and doesn't show through on the skin as glittery and dramatic as some of the others MSFs do. Its great for everyday adding a glow to the skin, without being too overpowering.

Star wonder is one of my recent editions and I love this as a dramatic pink highlight or pink blush! The colour is such a nice mix of gold, pink and purple suiting my skin tone perfectly (pink is really my colour).

Soft & gentle is the first MSF I ever purchased. At a first glance I thought 'how messy'! When I swatched it I fell in love with it. Specs of gold, champagne and silver shimmer- so beautiful as a highlight. I especially love this on my brow bone it gives such a nice lift! It really brightens up the inner corner too! I love to use this on clients when they want a natural dewy look. I just apply a sheer base with a natural blush and this on the cheekbone, down the bridge of the nose, cupids bow, brow bone and inner corner with a nice natural gloss depending on their skin tone.

Swatches below

Left to right (without and with flash), Whisper of gilt, Soft & gentle, Star wonder, Lightscapade

I found I really close dupe for Mac Starwonder MSF...

Mac MSF in Star wonder VS Accessorize blush in 6 scandal

Left to right, Mac VS Accessorize

The Accessorize blush has more of a purply undertone and is slightly less shimmery than the Mac MSF, and more pigmented but for under £6 for 8g of product I'm not complaining!

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Love Always

Friday, 24 August 2012

So lately I have noticed I've bought so much makeup but these 3 products I have been constantly using.
For Eid I went to birmingham to go see family so I ended up doing a lot of makeup there and still I used these 3 products. These products in my opinion are all amazing and worth the price! Just so you guys know, products I will tell you about on my blog and reccommend are all products I sincerley believe are worth the money and are really good quality, no lies just the truth!

1. Maybelline eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel liner

Claims-A intense colour that is smudgeproof and waterproof, 24 hours lasting power

My Thoughts
This product is intensely pigmented ( I have it in black), it does not smudge- even on oiler lids, it is waterproof but at the same time easy to remove (which is great, we don't want to be scrubbing our eyes at the end of the night)!
This product also comes with a nice brush. It can create thin or thick lines depending on what look you want to acheive and can work with creating cat liner. Its nice to see a good quality brush has come with this gel liner which you dont normally get! The brush is also a nice size (not them really mini ones I find hard to grasp in my hand never mind do my liner with).
I would say this is a dupe for Mac fluidline in blacktrack. It is very creamy and does not dry out even when you leave the lid open- which I always do by accident. I use gel liner so often and I havn't even nearly reached half way!
So this product will last you ages, you can even use it on the waterline- and it stays on all day! I don't know if it stays on for 24 hours (come on who is going to wear eyeliner for that long), but I do know it stays on all day without smudging even in hot, humid conditions.
The packaging of this product is very nice aswell (not cheap looking) its in a glass jar with a plastic lid it is nice, round and small to fit nicely in my makeup bag.

What more could you want for only £7.99 (3g) with a brush when compared to Mac your paying £14 for the same amount of product and NO BRUSH?!

2. Sleek Ultra Matte Palettes

Claims-intensely creamy, highly pigmented colours that are super-blendable. These mineral-based eyeshadows are so smooth in texture they are ideal for contouring eyes and creating multi-dimensional looks.

My Thoughts

These eyeshadows are intensely pigmented! I can compare these to Illamasqua eyeshadows. I own other sleek palettes but these matt ones have impressed me the most! There are 2 Sleek matt palettes (brights & darks).
The colours in the palettes are so beautiful and will suit every skintone, obviously you don't need to own both palettes, if your more daring with eyeshadow go with the brights if you want a more neutral palette with deeper colours choose the darks palette. I was suprised with the white in this palette as I find drugstore white eyeshadows to be chalky (and this was the case with some of the other sleek palettes with white in it) however in this palette the white is not chalky at all. I have to say it isn't as opaque and pigmented as Illamasqua intrigue blush (which is a matt white), but still the white works! Actually the fact that the white is not too opaque is good as it doesnt give a scary false white appearance to the eyes when applied as a highlight (and it can be built up).
The matt eyeshadows all blend out really good! It takes virtually no effort, just using buffing circular motions with the brush very slightly to blend this colour out.
The packaging I like too. The palettes have 12 pressed eyeshadows in them and are packaged in a nice flat, black compact with a lovely mirror. This is great as there is no bulky packaging so they don't take up much space and if your like me and have been collecting them- you can just stack them up in your makeup drawer. When your doing your eyeshadow the mirror is really handy. It a perfect size (not too small or big) and because the palettes include a range of colours you have all the colours you need for one look in a palette.

£7.99 for 12 pigmented eyeshadows that blend a dream... definately a good buy!

3. Illamsqua blending brush 1

Claims- Mould and shape your eye make-up to perfection. Illamasqua Blending Brush 1 has been expertly designed for use with both cream and powder textures, and it's moulded shape is perfect for a soft diffusion of colour or defined blending.

My Thoughts
This brush will change the way your eye makeup looks. Really.
This brush is so soft and nicely tapered that it will not only blend out harsh lines- giving a soft blended look but it will also allow you to give a defined shape to your eye makeup. This brush is made of synthetic hairs so can be used with cream products, I have used this brush with cream pigments by Illamasqua and it has applied them beautifully! This brush is great for buffing in concealor or precise application of eyeshadow such as applying highlight in the tear duct.
I can 110% say the claims Illamasqua make on their brush is correct!
This is why I just love Illamasqua as a brand. When you go to a makeup counter they don't force their products on you, they listen to the customer and are so friendly, they give free makeup tips in store and they have sales! Whats not to love?
I also love the appearance of the blush, black with the Illamasqua logo in white at the end of the brush. Very elegant and not too made up- just how I like it... at the end of the day its a makeup brush. I don't like brushes that are really over the top- most of the time the design rubs off anyway. What are we paying for a good brush or a fancy one?
I guess the only downfall for this brush for some is the price £20.50 . Regarding quality, I think this is a reasonable price, but obviously for somebody who doesn't wear eyeshadow alot may not want to spend this much on single brush. When you look at other higher end brands on the market their brushes are so pricey compared to Illamsqua. I do however think the Illamsqua brush it an investment that is worth purchasing.

Do you own any of these products? Share your thoughts in the comments below

Love Always

Tuesday, 21 August 2012

Hey everyone and to all the muslims who are reading this blog I hope you all had a really good Eid!

I thought I would share my Eid makeup look with you all. For day one I did a pink cut crease/smokey look and for day two I did the same look but with different colours. For both looks it was matt and I used the Sleek ultra matt palettes.

I used the matt brown eyeshadow from the sleek storm palette to fill in my brows. For my eyes I used urban decay primer potion all over the lid up to the brow and underneath my eyes. Then I took the skin colour shade from the sleek ultra matt darks palette all over my lid (5th colour 1st row). From the sleek ultra matt brights palette I took the bright pink near the yellow on my Illamasqua blending brush 1 and in circular motions blended this on the outer part of my eye buffing in to the crease. I kept building on this colour, taking small amounts on my brush each time. I really made sure everything was blended and looked soft. Then I took the black from the darks palette and blended this into the outer edge of my eye focusing the colour only on this part. I used Illamasqua intrigue blush (matt white) for my brow and tear duct highlight. Using a gel liner I created a dramatic wing. Underneath the lash line I used the pink shade I used for my eyes and the black on the outer corner.

This was my makeup on the second day.

I used the exactly same techniques and products, but instead of using the pink and black I used brown and black from the sleek ultra matt darks palette. For blush I used Illamasqua Naked rose.

I hope you all enjoyed reading! How did you have your makeup on Eid? Leave your comments below

Love Always

For you guys who watch makeup tutorials then you should know misschievous...

If not I am really shocked, she is amazing! Her looks are so diverse she does gothic, theatre, haloween makeup to celebrity inspired and party makeup. I personally love her tutorials and can gather so many new ideas from watching her and techniques.

I can't put up her look that I was inspired on here because of copyright reasons but definitely check out her tutorial on this look, its in german but she has english subtitles.

This look uses all matt eyeshadows and is very dramatic. It would be perfect for parties and special occasions or just for trying out if your not comfortable with the whole double winged look. Julia lives in switzerland if I am correct and used a brand called Catrice for her eyeshadows. This is a german drugstore brand and so me living in England didn't have any access to these products. However... with what I had I recreated her look. I don't think It's always necessary to have the exact same products when wanting to recreate a look, make use with what you have!

How I created this look!

First I started off with applying a eyeshadow base (maybelline colour tattoo in tough as taupe) to prevent creasing and so the colours appear more vibrant. I used the sleek ultra matt brights & darks palette for the eyes. These palettes are so amazing! Their colour payoff is super pigmented and the eyeshadows are so easy to blend!

Then I took the light grey eyeshadow from the sleek ultra matt brights palette and applied this all over my lid (to get a sharp edge apply tape from your lower lash line going up). Then I took the darker grey from the sleek ultra matt darks palette and applied this on the outer edge of my eye.

On the outer edge I then added the brown shade from the sleek ultra matt darks palette and blended this colour on the outer wing and blending it slightly in the crease to define it. To make this wing darker I took the black shade and applied this right on the end of the wing to make this area darker and more dramatic. Make sure not to apply too much black or it will take away from the brown smokey eye we have going on.

For the lower lash line I took the teal shade (1st colour top row) from the sleek ultra matt darks palette and applied this underneath the lash line thicker than I normally would because we want the teal to peak through the black gel liner we are going to apply later. Take this teal shade going up leaving a small gap between the top brown wing we have. Do this on a angled brush to get a nice precise point with the teal eyeshadow. Add some black eyeshadow to the root of the lower lashes to darken the teal a little on the outer edge. Add your brow and inner tear duct highlight- white shade from sleek palette for brows (less harsh) and illamasqua intrigue for inner corner.

Then take elf cream eyeliner in ivory or a white eyeliner and between the two wings brush this across. On top of this apply a matt white eyeshadow (I used Illamasqua blusher in intrigue because it is so pigmented). This will intensify the white and also give a good contrast between the two colours making the eyeshadow pop. Then apply a white eyeliner in your waterline. I don't own one so I took a skin coloured liner (Illamasqua hex) and applied this in my waterline then applied Illamasqua intrigue on a angled brush on top of the liner.

The hardest part of this look is the gel liner. I used maybellines gel liner. On a pointed or angled liner brush (whichever you find easiest) line your upper lash line and create a dramatic wing. Make sure this is in the lines of the brown eyeshadow. Then take your gel liner slightly in your tear duct area by carrying the line on straight. Then join it up to connect it to your lower lashline (it should come to a point). Then take your gel liner underneath the lashline and carry it to the lower wing (make sure it finishes at a point to look perfect)! I did both my wings the same length but you can do one longer, one shorter etc. Remember practise makes perfect, the winged liner is the trickiest bit!

I hope you enjoyed reading on how I created this look! Don't forget to leave me a comment on your thoughts

Love Always

Thursday, 9 August 2012

My birthday was on the 8th and I know this post is really late and I havn't been posting for the last couple of days which is because I havn't been well, literally I did not open any of these until I swatched them for this post, I only tried the shu uemura eyelash curler and Illamasqua cream blusher in zygomatic and lies in store! The rest I havn't touched... which isn't like me at all! I usually rush to try everything on.

So im sorry for the late blogpost but will definately be making it up with more soon to come, please let me know in the comments below what you would like me to blog about or any products you want to know about or a look you want me to create (im still recovering but I shall try my best).
I want to say a BIG THANKYOU to the lovely girls that made my birthday special, and a special special shoutout to my friend Sarah who organised all the girls putting money together to give me a kit fund, my gorgeous auntie Miriam who is like a second Mum to me and ofcourse my Mum who would go around the world and back to make me happy. If my best friend Neelam is reading this...love you lots for getting me everything I wanted how did you know? haha. To my gorgeous friends I couldn't see on my birthday because they genuinely couldn't come I love you guys!

Sleek Acid palette, this palette would be great for fun makeup, eyeliners and colourful smokey or arabic looks.The yellow, white and orange wern't pigmented and quite chalky but the other colours make up for these colours being a downfall.

Sleek sunset palette. I have to say this palette is amazing. Better than what I imagined. The colours have really good payoff and just in general the colours are so stunning! There is not one colour in this palette I would not use which is great!

Illamasqua powder blusher in Morale. This colour is a gorgeous deep pink/purple with a really nice shimmer to it without appearing too glittery and false. The colour is quite out there but I don't own anything like it in my collection and I think it would look great applied sheerly for a nice glow or heavily with a dramatic look.

Illamasqua powder blusher in Intrigue. This colour is a matt white, crazy I know. However, I chose this with the intention of using it as a eyeshadow or dramatic highlight. It is really pigmented so I found it more convenient and cheaper to buy this- Illamasqua blushers last me ages... I never hit pan because they are so pigmented so you only need a tiny amount!

Illamasqua powder blusher in Hussy. This colour is a bright candy pink. I don't normally go for bright blushers so have nothing like this in my collection. I think it would suit all skintones which is great for me to have in my kit.

Illamasqua powder blusher in Naked Rose. This colour is amazing. Its a matt pale dusty pink. It would suit all types of makeup because it is that perfect pink shade that isn't really pale or barbie pink. Im really picky when it comes to pale pink shades and the only one I actually use daily is Nars deep throat, I think this may replace that!

Illamasqua cream blusher in Lies. This is a iridecent, pale pink, gloss consistency highlighter. It gives the skin a really nice healthy glow. I tried this on in the store and love how it made my skin look really glowy but also not like I had lots of product on. I love the shimmer in it, but it doesn't look really shimmery on the skin its more glowy than glitter on your cheekbones- which is great for everyday, its also really easy to apply- just with fingertips!

Illamasqua cream blusher in Zygomatic. A beige/peach neutral shade with a dewy finish. Great for everyday or with heavy makeup looks. Gives the skin a healthy glow and appearance. Illamsqua cream blushers also work on oily skin because they do not move at all!

Illamasqua liquid metal in Enrapture. This colour is a lovely metallic bronze. I actually received this free with my order as Illamasqua have a olympic offer (which is still on)! Spend more than £50 receive liquid metal in bronze (this one) , Spend £90 receive liquid metal in silver and bronze, spend £120 recieve liquid metal in bronze, silver and gold!.

Mac MSF in Star wonder. A pink/gold highlighter. This is from one of Mac's collections so I had to have it for my birthday!

Illamasqua pure pigment in Furore. A champagne frosty glitter/pigment which would be great as a highlighter or lid colour.

10 colour blush palette from ebay which was a really good buy! I asked my best friend to get me this and for the price which was about £6 I was NOT dissapointed! the colours were really pigmented and came in a palette so really good for my kit!

Illamasqua brushes. Blusher brush 1, blending brush 1 & 2. Illamasqua have online offers that are great! They have one that is any powder blush and the blush brush 1 for £30 which is a saving of £12! I wouldn't use the brush for blusher though because it seems too dense, but it would be great for buffing in foundation or powder. My beautiful cousin got me the blending brush 2 which I already own but having two is always handy because I love the brush so much and it saves me washing it all the time because I can just switch brushes (I use this brush for concealor, foundation, highlighter & blending)! I got the blending brush 1 which I chose and adore, I've seen makeup artists use it at Illamasqua and the brush is so soft and tapered perfectly to blend and shape any eye looks.

Currently at www.illamasqua.com (August only) buy 3 makeup brushes and get the cheapest one half price, the brushes are excellent quality and so soft you will not be dissapointed. Also check out the other online exclusives and treat your alter ego.

I got the pigments set and shu uemura eyelash curler which are great things and you will see demonstrated in looks to come! For those of you wondering, I did get other things beside makeup but thought I would share the products with you because its my beauty blog (and putting the other presents up would make this too long). I hope you enjoyed reading about what I got for my birthday.

What do you think? Leave your feedback in the comments below its appreciated!

Love always

Monday, 6 August 2012

So Eid is nearing and my Mum wanted to get my brothers Eid clothes, so she decided to go to Trafford. I was on the hunt for a nice leather jacket and thought I'de go too, plus I could visit all the makeup counters which was a bonus!
My birthday is on Wednesday so, I thought I would treat myself... suprisingly I didn't treat myself to much except Mac studio fix powder foundation.
My Mum got me the leather jacket, a sleek palette, accessorize blush and barry M pigment as a early birthday present.. all chosen by me so I am very happy with the gifts.

My leather jacket was my most exciting purchase because I have been on the hunt for one. This one fit me nicely and was exactly what I was looking for. It was £52 but with the selfridges student discount about £46. I guess its expensive but I found it really comfortable and can imagine wearing it all the time so I guess its worth it.
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Miss selfridges £46

Whilst I was waiting for my Mum shopping for my brothers clothes I went to visit the makeup counters. Seeing as I was waiting around I got a free mini tranformation from Illamasqua which is (for you guys that don't know) is that you can have either your face (foundation, powder, highlight blush), lips (the perfect pout) or eyes done for FREE! I got my eyes done by one of the makeup artists called Aisha. She was so lovely and has done my eyes before, shes really good and listens to what you want! I would reccomend to everyone get their makeup done by her.

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When I got home I added thicker liner and more purple in the crease and underneath the waterline and a black kohl pencil in the waterline to make it abit more dramatic.

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I was with my Mum at superdrug and picked up this baked blush by Accessorize for under £5! It reminded me of the mac mineralize blushes and had really good pigmentation. It came in a few pinky shades and bronzers. A really good buy! For those who think the mac blushers are quite pricey try these they are amazing and you get 8g of product!

Superdrug under £5!

Another thing I picked up from superdrug was the Sleek ultra matt darks palette. Now, Sleek are really impressing me lately. Their products are really good. Their eyeshadow palettes especially. The colours are very pigmented besides some chalky shades but overall do a really good job! I've used these palettes on shoots and on myself and love how they look. I already have the ultra matt brights palette and thought I would add this to my collection.

Sleek £8.99

This is actually what I paid for myself. My skin tends to get oily and I wanted a full coverage powder as well to finish off my makeup. I tried this on in the mac counter at selfridges and loved how it made my skin look so bought it.

Mac £20.50

This pigment was also under £5. Its a black with gold glitter which I thought would be amazing for a smokey eye. I love barry M pigments I really think they live up to high end product expectations. I want to collect all the colours because they are so pretty and look so lovely on the eyes alone or on top of an eyeshadow.

Let me know in the comments below

Love Always

Sanna

Friday, 3 August 2012

I have been watching the olympics and have been inspired to either do british flag eyeshadow or lips!

I ended going with the lips because I really wanted to use my new sleek pout paints and flags on the eyes would take longer!

Sleek pout paints- Cloud, Pin Up, Peek-a-bloo

This took me about 10 mins, it was really easy and I used 3 brushes to acheive this look; angled, pointed lip brush and flat straight shaped brush. I guess you wouldn't need 3 brushes but i wanted it to be easier for me so the shape of the brush could do all the work!

Howyoucangetthislook

1. First using pout paint in cloud apply this all over your lips. Make sure your brush is clean! Other wise the white will go a different colour depending on what was left on your brush. I used a angled brush to do this so I could get a crisp neat application around my lip line and cupids bow.

2. Then take pout paint in pin up and apply this firstly across your bottom lip, then top lip. Then make a cross shape by bringing the colour down in a straight thick line on your bottom lip then repeat on the top.

3. After the second step you should have a red cross. Then do diagonal lines in the middle space between the cross & the end of your lip. Make sure the lines are exactly in the middle for the look to look perfect. You should have 4 of these lines.

4. Take pout paint in peek-a-bloo and between the red lines and red cross carefully fill this in leaving a small gap for the white to show through. This is the tricky part. Make sure you don't have too much blue on your brush so you can control the amount of product you are spreading. Don't worry if you don't get it perfect, it won't look bad unless someone is looking really really close hehe.

Then your done!

I hope you found this useful or just good to look at!

Let me know what you think in the comments below and if you want to try it out!